


Gold’s Kitchen: part nineteen

by mrgoldsdearie



Series: "Gold's Kitchen" [20]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Once Upon a Time Fusion, F/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-30
Updated: 2015-04-30
Packaged: 2018-03-26 12:54:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3851722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrgoldsdearie/pseuds/mrgoldsdearie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rumbelle Hell’s Kitchen AU - Chef Gold makes a deal with the two rats in his office and finally chooses the winner of the Hell’s Kitchen cooking competition.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gold’s Kitchen: part nineteen

**Author's Note:**

> *cries for a thousand years* This is the final chapter of this verse and I can’t believe I finished it. I hope you enjoy the way it ends for Chef Gold and Belle. I do have a few prompts to fill for this verse, so I hope you're looking forward to them soon. Please enjoy and happy reading.

Chef Gold enters his office, slamming the door behind him and the two men sitting at the couch, cower in their seats. "What the fuck?" he rages and Sidney Glass stands to his feet in an attempt at leaving. "Sit down," Gold roars and he quickly sits.

Sidney's legs quiver with fear and he looks like a man that's about to shit himself. Chef Gold is more intimidating in person and Sidney never thought he'd have to face him.

"You!" Gold points at Jefferson. "What the fuck are you trying to prove?"

Jefferson swallows his fears. He didn't come back as a contestant, he came back as a man on a mission to show Chef Gold he's made a terrible mistake. "You fucked up!" He stands to his feet and broadens his chest, trying to appear like the bigger man, which he doesn't have to do. Gold is a much smaller man than Jefferson, but he carries himself with pure confidence and this makes Jefferson feel as if he must show his as well.

"I should rip those fake eyebrows of your fucking face," Gold snaps. "You are the most pathetic excuse for a chef I have ever seen. You're nothing but an unprofessional, filthy, little shit!" Gold steps closer to him. "Don't you know that I can see to it that you never have a good future in this industry?" His face turns red with every word he speaks. "Why would you even think about fucking with a person like that?"  

"Because you are a cheater and people need to know how you've cheated me."

"This game has been organized fairly. I have never cheated anyone before, why the fuck would I do it now?"

"Because you want that little bitch Belle to win. She's been sucking your dick to get to where she is."

"Belle doesn't have to suck anyone's dick to get where she is. She's actually an extraordinary chef and a lot better than you can ever wish to be. She and Mulan both deserve to be where they are, they've earned it by their skills in the kitchen." Gold boldly states.

"I've..."

"Sit fucking down," Gold snarls, cutting off Jefferson's sentence.

"Yes, Chef," Jefferson speaks out of habit and sits, then gasps to himself once he realizes what he just did.

"Glass," Chef Gold barks, turning his attention to Sidney.

"Y-y-yes, Chef Gold?" he stutters.

"What are you getting out of the deal you have with this little shit stain?"

"Umm..." Sidney shifts in the couch, he's extremely nervous. "He promised me a groundbreaking story that would bring down one of the worlds most famous chefs."

"Since when did a fucking food magazine get into the business of ruining people's lives?"

"Umm..."

"Something else is going on here. This doesn't make fucking sense." Gold storms to the door and locks it.

"What are you doing?" Jefferson stands from the couch again.

"If I have to tell you to sit one more time... I will rip those fucking eyebrows off."

Jefferson plops down in the couch. He thinks the chef is serious this time.

"As much as I want to fry your fucking face." Gold point at Jefferson. "And freeze you in a vat of liquid nitrogen." He eyes Sidney. "We have to sort this shitty situation out civilly." Gold takes a seat at his desk.

"There's no way we can sort this out," Jefferson protests.

"Yes there is, dearie, everyone has a price." He lowers his brow. "What the fuck is yours?"

Jefferson and Sidney turn their heads to each other, then back at the chef and the office falls eerily quiet

"Well?" Gold roars.

"You can't buy us," Jefferson answers.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Sidney intervenes. "Hold on there, Jefferson, speak for yourself.

"What?" Jefferson is appalled. He thought they were in this together, fighters to the end. He never expected Sidney to turn on him so quickly.

"Good man, Glass." Chef Gold grins. "I knew there was a reason why I wanted to kill you quicker. What's your price?"

"You were right to question why a food magazine would get into the business of ruining people's lives."

"Don't tell him anything."

"Shut up, Jefferson," Gold orders. "Please continue, Glass," he speaks calmly.

"Well, I don't work for The Daily Fresh, I never have."

"Oh... You don't." Gold sits back in his chair and glares at Jefferson, as Sidney speaks.

"I lost my job at The Swan Magazine several years ago and now no other paper or magazine will hire me. This story was going to get me back in."  

"And how did you lose your job?"

"There were some false factors in a high profile story I published."

"What story?"

"None of that really matters, Chef.”

“I’d still like to know.”

Sidney is hesitant to tell the chef. This story ruined his life and he hates talking about it. “Well..." He pauses for a moment. "Remember that story about the pop star Ruby Lucas running an underground sex ring to enslave men?”

“Holy fuck!” Chef Gold’s eyes widen in utter shock. “That was you? You almost ruined that girls life. How fucking stupid are you to believe such horse shit?” He shakes his head in disbelief at the amount of idiocy sitting before him.  “And you trusted this man to write your story?” he addresses to Jefferson. “You're both morons and I don't see why I need to make a deal with any of you. You have no credibility.”

“Look, Chef Gold, I still rub elbows with some very credible reporters and they’ll take this story in a heartbeat.”

Gold grunts. He thought he was well on his way to kicking these losers out. “What the fuck do I have to do to shut you up.”

“Here's my price. I'll keep your secret, if you help me build my own magazine."

"Done." Gold doesn’t think twice.

"Really?" Sidney is surprised by how quickly he agreed.

"Yes, really. I can't help you build it, I'm a chef not a writer, but I can give you the tools to do it yourself."

"Thank you, thank you so much, Chef." He excitingly stands to shake the chef's hand, but Gold makes a gesture for him to sit back down and being Chef Gold's new puppet, Sidney instantly complies.  

"And what about you, Jefferson?"

"You can't buy me." He barks back at the chef.

"Every man has a price and no one is leaving until we've found yours."

"Have fun with that, Chef, cause I can sit here all night." Jefferson leans back comfortably in the couch.

“Don’t be stupid,” Gold raves, sitting up in his desk chair. “You have a once in a lifetime opportunity here and you’re going to pass is up? You entered this competition to win a job at my restaurant. What if I gave you your own? And just like Glass, I'll give you everything you need. I won't be involved at all.”

“No, Chef, I won’t take it.”

“You won’t take something that could possibly be better than the prize in a game?” Jefferson is dumber than the chef thought. He sits back in his chair and thinks. He’s going to have to be a bit nasty to deal with a nitwit such as this. Jefferson is hellbent on ruining the show and what Belle and Gold have together. “Glass.”

“Yes, Chef Gold.”

“How many of these credible writers do you know?” Gold turns in his chair, opens the file desk behind him, pulls out a file and turns back to the men.

“Umm, quite a few.”

“Good. I want you to contact them, all of them, with a story that paints Jefferson off as a liar and a cheat.” Since Jefferson chooses to play the game of revenge, Gold is going to play with him. “With the shit storm you created with Ruby, I’m sure you can think of something, so it doesn't matter what you say. Jefferson won't be around to defend himself.”

Jefferson sits up in the couch, no longer sitting pretty. “What do you mean by that? You can’t spread lies about me and expect me not to rebuke them.” Jefferson raves.

“You missed the part when I said you won't be around. You’re taking a trip Mr. Hatter, a long one way trip back home.” Chef Gold speaks calmly. “One can easily forget and you’ve lived here for so long that your accent has faded.” He looks through Jefferson’s application, the application every Hell’s Kitchen contestant fills out every year. “Oh… Well there is.” Gold cuts his eyes up at Jefferson, with a fiendish grin on his face. “Your home country… Your real home country, Great Britain.”

“What the fuck, Gold!” Jefferson jumps to his feet and rushes to the chef’s desk. “You can’t fucking do that!”

“Yes I fucking can!” He stands from his chair and leans forward with his hands on the disk. “You're going back home, dearie. I’m going to see to it that you get deported.” Gold eyes fill with fury.

"I'm not going back there. You can't make me go back!" He slams his hand on the chef's desk.

"Then don't do anything fucking stupid!" Gold slams his hand on the desk as well. "You have a daughter. You need to think about her and not some petty revenge plan. I know you don't want her growing up without a father. Don't make the mistake that insures that she does. Take the restaurant, Jefferson. It's the right choice."

Jefferson breaths heavily, staring coldly into Chef Gold's eyes, feeling like a man backed into a corner.

"What are you going to do?"

Jefferson doesn't want to do it, but he can't live without his daughter Grace and he can't go back to Britain. "Fine." His top lip quivers as he makes his decision. 

"Is that your final answer, dearie?" Gold smirks.

"Yes!" He forces out.

"Good." Chef Gold picks up his phone and starts hitting numbers on the dial.

"Who the hell are you calling?" Jefferson snap. He still enraged and will never live down this defeat.

"I'm calling my lawyer and making all of this official tonight."

##  *******

It's been two hours since Chef Gold shut down the final Hell's Kitchen dinner service. Now all the chefs await in the dorms, hoping to find out why he did so. Belle is more worried than anyone else, she's never seen Gold as enraged as he was tonight. She wants to make sure he's alright, be by his side and hold him in her arms

Chef Gold storms into the dorm rooms, something he's never done during the three years of this competition. "I need everyone in front of me right now!" he orders.

All of the chefs stop whatever they're doing and stand in a line before Chef Gold.

"I want to apologize to Mulan and Belle. What happened tonight was my fault completely."

Mulan and Belle turn to each other with expressions of concern on their faces.

"That was personal business that spilled out into the dining room and I need to know if you ladies can forgive me."

"Yes, Chef, I forgive you," Belle replies.

"So do I," Mulan adds.

Gold takes a deep breath. "Good. Now that it's all over and fully taken care of, we will continue this competition tomorrow night."

"Yes, Chef," everyone answers.

"That's all. Enjoy your evening."

All the competitors break away as Chef Gold heads for the door, then stops and turns back. "Mulan, Belle, I need to speak with both of you."

"Yes, Chef," they both reply.

Chef Gold opens the door for them and follows them out into the hall. He quietly leads them down into the kitchen, getting them far away from the others. Once in the kitchen, he finally turns to face them and Belle leaps into his arms.

"Are you alright, Rumple," she mutters into his neck.

"I'm fine, my love." He gently pulls out of her hug. "But I need to tell both of you the truth. That was Jefferson in the dining room tonight making a scene. He tried to ruin the show and both of your chances of winning."

Belle takes in a deep sharp breath.

"I knew that fucking ass would do something like that," Mulan mumbles, rolling her eyes.

"I took care of it and he won't be coming back."

"Are you sure, Rumple?"

"Yes, sweetheart, I'm sure. There's nothing for you to worry about. We're going to finish this thing tomorrow. You are allowed to tweak your menus or keep them the same."

"I'm keeping mine the same. I worked hard on it and I love the way it is."

"That's a good choice, Mulan. You had an excellent menu," Gold comments. "What about you, sweetheart?" He takes Belle's hand.

"I'm keeping mine as well."

"That's my dragon girl." He lightly strokes her cheek. "I'm glad you're both standing behind your menus."

Belle blushes. "I told you not to call me that."

"I'm not sorry, dearie." He lick his bottom lip, fighting off the urge to kiss her. "You guys should get back."

"Yes, Chef," Mulan turns away to head back to the dorm.

Belle stands for a moment, holding the chef's hand then turns to Mulan. "Wait!" She rushes to her. "I need to ask you if you're okay with something."

"What is it?"

"I want to spend the night with Rumple."

"Well then spend the night with him, I don't care." Mulan is a bit confused as to way Belle would mention this to her. She's told them before she doesn't care about their relationship if it doesn't affect the competition.

"With everybody upstairs, you can't go back by yourself."

"Oh, I see how that is a dilemma. Well, what are you doing to do. I'm not staying the night with you two." Mulan crosses her arms.

Chef Gold has been standing back watching their little chat and now he's curious to know what they're speaking of. "What's going on, dearies?" He steps up to them.

"I want to stay the night with you, but Mulan can't stay in the dorms all night without me. Everyone upstairs will know something's up," Belle explains.

"I see." He takes a moment to think. "If you're okay with it, I can send you somewhere to stay tonight. You guys can go up and pack, tell everyone that I'm pampering as an apology for tonight." Gold offers.

"That's a good idea!" Belle smile brightly.

"I'm okay with that." Mulan shrugs. "Where am I going?"

"Where do you wanna go?" Gold asks

"I don't care. As long as there's food, a clean bed and cable, I'll be just fine."

"How about my place?"

"Your place?" Both of the women speak in shock.

"Why not? It has everything she'll need and then some," Gold explains. "I'll arrange for someone to pick you up and you're welcome to anything in the house, Mulan."

"Thank you, Chef."

"Except for a small jar of peach-mint jam in the refrigerator. It's my favorite, so please don't touch it," he quickly adds.

Belle's eyes widen when he mentions the jam. She didn't think he would still have it.

"Yes, Chef," Mulan answers. She's excited and honored to stay at the chef's house.

"Rumple, I was kinda hoping we could stay there," Belle mutters.

"No." He shakes his head. "Mulan can go to my place while you and I stay here."

"Really?" Belle can't believe that Mulan gets to spend the night in her boyfriend house, before her.

"Yes, really. I just spent a lot of money tonight, so please forgive me if I don't want to spend more."

"Alright," Belle pouts.

"Go get your stuff and tell everyone you don't know where you're going."

"Yes, Chef." Mulan smiles brightly and winks at Belle, before bouncing up to the dorms.

Belle stares coldly at her boyfriend. She can't believe she's spending the night in his office.

"You better hurry you, sweetheart, before they start to ask where you are."

She quickly turns away and stomps up the stairs.

##  *******

After sending Mulan off to the chef's house, Belle and Gold enter his office together. She's still very unhappy with having to stay in the office.

"Ugh!" she grips and drops her bag on the floor.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” He picks up her bag and takes it to the desk. “I didn’t want to spend money on something I really didn’t need to.” He turns back to her. “You know, I don’t pay for all the trips and prizes the contestants win, the network does that. I just had to spend a very large amount of my personal money tonight, an extremely large amount, and I did it for us.”

Belle goes to him and wraps her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest. “You don’t have to apologize, Rumple. I’m sorry if I seemed ungrateful. I know you did it for us.” She lifts her head up to him. “But what exactly did you pay for?”

“Sit down, dearie, and we can talk about it.” He leads her to the couch.

Chef Gold explains to Belle everything about the deals he made tonight. He tells her about Sidney Glass and how Jefferson was going to use him to expose the relationship between them during the course of the competition and lie about how they were cheating. He also tells her about how Jefferson refused his offers and wouldn't comply with anything until he was threatened.

“You had to threaten him?” It’s unbelievable to Belle that Gold would do something like that. “What did you threaten him with?”

“With the only thing I could do.”

“Which is?”

“I had to tell him that I would have him deported if he didn't take my offer."

"Deported? Jefferson is from California."

"Not originally, he's from some small British village, but the name of it escapes me right now."

Belle gapes at him, puzzled, trying to wrap her mind around what she's just learned. Jefferson never spoke with even a slight British accent. "Wait, you threatened to have him sent home, but he has a daughter. That would have separated his family." She gasps, bringing her hand to her lips. "Why would you do that?"

"I had to, it was the only thing I could do." He defends himself and quickly takes her hand. He knows she has a habit of leaving when she gets upset with him.

"That's a horrible thing to do, Rumple. That's... That's monstrous." She snatches her hand from him. She doesn't understand why he would think of such a thing and do it.  "Why, Rumple?"

"For us... I did it for us. He was dead set on killing this competition, my career and possibly what we have have together. I couldn't let that happen." He gazes at her pleadingly, hoping that she'll understand.

"You could have done something else!" The tone in her voice slowly rises.

"Something else?" He replies with disbelief. How can she be upset for doing something to defend them? "What would you have done, Belle?"

"Me?"

"Yes!" He shouts. "How would you deal with being blackmailed and forced to back away in a corner?"

"I-I don't know." She doesn't like what he did, but she can't think of another way she would have resolved the issue. "There was another way, though, I know there was."

"There wasn't," Gold snaps. "The situation was shitty, Belle. There was no way to end it without doing what I had to do. Someone was going to lose something either way, but at least this way, it was only money." He stands from the couch and paces the office. "I thought you would understand this, I thought you wouldn't piss me off too!"  

"Hey!" She stands from the couch. "You need to calm down."

"I can't calm down. This night has been nothing but shit!"

Belle stops his pacing, by placing her hand on his shoulder. He's worked himself up into another rage.

"We were supposed to be celebrating someone's win tonight, but I had to deal with tweedle dee and tweedle dum pissing all over my fucking office. And now you're upset with with the way I handled it... It's horse shit!"

"Hey!"

"What!" he yells at her.

They stare into each other's eyes, breathing heavily, as their hearts beat rapidly. Suddenly, their lips slap together like the opposite ends of magnates, stealing away the breath from the other, tugging at clothes and hair, as they back up towards the office door.

Belle's back makes a loud thud when she hits the door and wraps one leg around his hip, as Gold sucks on the side of her neck. "I'm sorry, Rumple." She breaths, cupping the nap of his neck. "I shouldn't have upset you that way."

"I was already upset." He pulls her chefs jacket out of her pants.

"Are you still upset?" Her hand slide down the length of his back and she fills them with his ass.

"Yes." He pulls her jacket over her head and drops it on the floor, then continues to kiss her. "I'm still fucking pissed," he whispers on her lips.

She squeezes his soft ass and his cheeks tighten to her touch.

"Uhh..." His hips involuntary buck between her legs and his hand caresses her breast over the white t shirt she was wearing under the chefs jacket. "Oh, Belle," he groans making his Scottish brogue sound thicker.

Belle drops her leg from his waist and pushes him off of her. She walks past him, taking off her shirt, pants, panties and shoes, then lays down on the couch only wearing her bra.

Chef Gold leers at her, licking his lips, he can still taste her on them.

"Let's make it so that you're not pissed anymore, Rumple."

The blood in his body flows to his cock, as he steps away from the door. He kicks off his shoes and unbuttons his pants, while he walks behind his desk and opens the bottom drawer. He takes a condom from the box he's kept in his office since they've started having sex and slams the drawer shut. He steps up to the couch and stands above Belle, as he tears the package open with his teeth.

Belle sits up in the couch and rubs her hand over his pants, feeling his harden manhood.

"I need to fuck you, Belle," he speaks hoarsely.

She pulls down the zipper of his pants and his thickness falls out before her. She slowly strokes him with one hand and takes the condom from him with the other. She guides his cock to her lips, slowly filling her mouth with him. She swirls her tongue around his end and pulls him out making a pop in the release.

His body shutters.

Belle takes the condom between her lips, placing the end towards the back. Slightly cringing from the taste of the latex. She leans into him and delicately pushes the rolled up latex onto the blunt tip of his cock. She fills her mouth with him, gently pushing the condom down his shaft, being very careful not to use her teeth. Using her skilled lips, she unrolls the condom down the first few inches of Gold’s throbbing cock. She finishes unrolling the latex with her hand. Belle inhales deeply, as she lowers her mouth further down Gold’s shaft and saliva begins to dribble from the sides of her mouth.

Rumple grasps onto her long brown curls and his body tense just like a bow string.

Belle takes his cock into the back of her throat and moans seductively. She releases his cock from her warm mouth and gazes up at him, not having done that in years.

"I didn't know you could do that, dearie." Gold is taken completely by surprise and is amazed by her skill.

She pulls him down to her by the collar of his chefs jacket and kisses him firmly. "My skills stretch far beyond the kitchen," she purrs with a mischievous glint in her eyes.  

"I can see that, sweetheart."

She lays down in the couch, pulling him on top of her.

Gold shimmies his pants off from around his feet, kicking them to the floor and buries his face between her breasts, aggressively kissing and sucking at her exposed skin. The more he touches her, the more he can feel his anger deflate and fill with the passionate love he has for her. He slides her bra up above her breast and caresses her warm pillowy flesh, gently twisting a pebbled nipple between his teeth.

Belle arches her back to his touch, relishing the way his rough chef hands feel over her body. "Mmm..." She closes her eyes, nibbling on her bottom lip, as she rakes her fingers through his silky hair. Belle feels her pussy gush with anticipation when she feels Gold’s thick hardness brush against her opening. She needs him deep inside her; feeling him fill her up to the max.  

Gold sits up, taking off his chefs jacket and tosses it on the floor. He takes his cock in hand and tilts forward, holding himself over by gripping at the arm of the couch above her head. He guides his thickness into her opening and pushes himself inside her swiftly.

"Ah." Her body jerks from the force of his hips.

The chef powerfully thrusts himself inside Belle, relishing how the walls of her wet cunt grip around him. His movements are shallow, but hard and quick. He drops his foot flat on the floor to gain more leverage. Balanced on his feet, Gold grinds himself deeper inside Belle.

"Ah, ah, ah," Belle moans sensually. She wraps her legs around Gold’s waist and presses her nails into the small of his back. This is what she needed, what she always needed, Gold buried balls deep inside her.

Gold takes a moment to slow down the movements of his hips. He looks affectionately into Belle’s blue eyes before leaning forward and presses his lips against hers. Their kiss is deep and passionate. While their lips are still locked, Gold goes back to his original pace, fucking his girlfriend with everything he has.

"Mmm..." Belle hums and grabs the arm of the couch above her. She rolls her hips with the rhythm of his lunges, keeping him close inside her.

Chef Gold drives himself inside her hard and deep, pounding against her thighs and the clap that their bodies make, verberate through the office.

Her body trembles and tightens, as his cock repeatedly rams inside her in just the right spot. “Ah, ah… Ooh gods!” she cries and her body quivers with jots of her orgasm, reaching the climax faster than she expected. “Fuck!” She comes as he continues to move inside her.

Gold admires the ecstasy on her face, as he take a few more strong slams against her. When her eyes roll back and her legs squeeze tightly around him, he can tell that she's had enough. He pulls himself out of her, as her pulsating pussy squirts on his dick and he removes the condom, dropping it on the floor. He sits up on the knee in couch, while his other leg keeps his balance on the floor, and he rapidly strokes his shaft above Belle.   
  
She sits up and grips his balls, adoring the way they feel in her hand. She massages them until they constrict to her touch, as she kisses his lips, oh how he tastes so sweet. It doesn't take long before she feels his body stiffen and her hand is sticky with his seed.   
  
"Uhh..." He sighs out heavily as his body shivers with the waves of orgasm. He rests his brow against hers and catches his breath, as the rest of his pastry cream trickles down his cock onto her hand.

"Did you get it all out," she whispers and kisses the tip of his nose.

"Yes, dearie."

"You know I meant the anger, right?" She smiles as she kisses his lips.

"I know what you meant, my love."

She sucks his cream from her hand and lays back in the couch. She love his salty flavor.

He lays in her arm, snuggling  between her body and the couch, wrapping his arm around her. "We didn't get any blankets."

"Awww, are you cold?" She turns to him (and even though their already as close as two people can be on a couch) she scoots closer to him, wrapping her leg over his body.

"Well, I wasn't cold yet and I thought I would be, but how can I get cold laying next to you."

"I don't think that's possible." She nips at his lips. “You know, you keep a blanket in your closet.”

“I forgot about that, but how did you know?”

“I saw it the night me and Mulan slept here. We went through your closet.”

“Oh... You did?” He gives her another passion filled kiss. "Mmm. Well, I’ll have to get it down for us later." His hand slid down the length of her body and he's lightly smacks her ass.

She flinches to the sting. "Oh!"

He leers at her, having no shame over what he did.

"I hope you're not planning on doing any of that tomorrow."

"If you win I will." He smirks.

"And if I lose?"

"I still will."

"Good, because I'll be winning."

"That's what I like to hear." He caresses his hand across her cheek. "You know, I love you, right?" He lovingly gazes into her blue eyes.

"Yes, I know and I love too." She beams brightly at him.

"Let's try to get some sleep, sweetheart. You have a big day, we I have to pick up Mulan and take showers at my place."

"Your house is big enough, why couldn't we just stay there too?"

"Did you hear yourself tonight, dearie?"

"Yes."

"That's why we didn't stay there. We'd end up playing Don't Speak and I didn't want to play that tonight. I wanted to hear your sensual moans."

She blushes. "I didn't want to play that either." She rubs her nose against his cheek and kisses him. "I’ll get the blanket for us, sweetie.” She rolls out of the couch and retrieves the blanket from his closet and returns to the couch, wrapping it around both of them. “Goodnight, Rumple." She cuddles into him.

"Goodnight, dragon girl."

"Don't call me that," she giggles. She'll never let him know she secretly likes it.

"Okay, I'll just keep calling you that." He knows she likes it.

They hold each other until their eyes are heavy and they fall fast asleep.

##  *******

The next morning Chef Gold and Belle rise early and travel to his house to pick up Mulan. They take their showers at the chefs pink victorian style manor, then head back to Hell's Kitchen. On their way back, Gold stops at the best little breakfast burrito food truck in LA and treats the ladies to breakfast. Afterwards, they finally return to the restaurant and the competition.

Chef Gold stands outside of the building with the final two contestants to wish them luck and words of advice.

"This competition will have a winner and a loser, but you both deserve to have this chance. And I would gladly have both of you working in any of my restaurants."

"Why don't you just pick both if us, Chef," Belle comments with a smirk on her face.

"You know I can't do that, dearie."

"Yes, yes, I know." She takes his hand and kisses it.

"I want you both to work hard, drive your kitchens and be good leaders."

"Yes, Chef," the ladies answer.

"The other chefs are most likely awake now, so you two should go."

Belle instantly wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him deeply. It's the last kiss they'll have all day and she wants it to last.

"Oh god," Mulan sighs and heads inside the building.

Chef Gold breaks off the kiss. "You better go, sweetheart. You're being abandoned." He kisses her again, drawing in deep gulps of her breath.

She pulls herself away from him. "Okay, okay." She breaths and locks her lips with his again, slipping her tongue into his mouth, scaling it across his uneven teeth, until he pulls her away from him.

"You need to go," he chuckles.

"Yeah, I know." She leans into him again and he stops her.

"Belle..." He pleads.

"Alright," she pouts. "I'll see you later." She gives him peck on the lips and chases after Mulan.

Chef Gold watches her enter the building, before going inside himself.

Belle catches up with Mulan just as she about to enter the kitchen. "Wait up."

Mulan stops and turns to her. "I thought you two were going to suck face all day."

"We could have."

"Yeah, I bet."

They walk to the back of the kitchen together.

"Chef Gold is really an amazing guy. You're luckily to get to know him personally," Mulan comments as she opens the door to the back hall.

"You might win and have a chance to know him too."

"You're right about that. Thank you, Belle."

"For what?"

"Being my friend."

"I should be the one thanking you for that. You've done so much for me and we wouldn't have this opportunity if it wasn't for you. You could have easily ended it." Belle extends her hand.

"You're right about that too." A crooked smile curls upon her face, as she takes Belle's hand and shakes it. "Come on, let's go kick each others asses."

"Sounds like a plan."

They dash up the stairs and enter the dorms together.

##  *******

The chefs spend most of the day prepping for tonight's dinner service. They prepare the slow cooked dishes and set up the stations with fresh ingredients. Belle is still a little unsure how Jafar will perform tonight. He's an amazing chef, but he's not someone that works well with others. She pulls him to the side to make sure he'll do everything he can to help her win.

"Jaffar, I need to know if we're still on the same page. We made a deal yesterday and I'd like to know if you're sticking to it."

"Ugh." He rolls his eyes and massages his temples. He can't believe she pulled him to the side for this. "I'm a man of my word and we made a deal. I'm going to do all that I can to help you."

Belle breaths a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much."

"Don't thank me yet, Chef. Thank me when you win." He turns away and continue his work.

Belle now has a good feeling that things are going to go well for her tonight. This will be the start of her new life.

The chefs have been in the kitchen prepping for hours and Chef Gold enters to observes for a moment before opening the doors. He's proud of the two final contestants and knows that they'll both do well tonight. "Down in front," Gold calls.

Everyone lines up before the chef for the final time.  

"Tonight, is _really_ the most important diner service of your lives and I will be overseeing everything, looking for the best leader to rise. Someone's life will be changing tonight, make sure that that person is you."

"Yes, Chef," Belle and Mulan reply.

"I'm very proud of both of you and wish you luck."

"Thank you, Chef."

"Now, to your kitchens." Gold turns away from them as the chefs scatter to their stations. "Archibald, open up Hell's Kitchen, please."

"Yes, Chef Gold." He heads to the entrance and opens the doors.

There’s another bright buzz of excitement that fills the dining room once again. Customers flood in to enjoy the final opening night at Hell’s Kitchen’s. Mulan and Belle are anxious again, but they both have more confidence than yesterday. They've been through this once before, they know they can do it again and more smoothly.

All the diners are shown to their tables and each kitchen will serve the same number of guest. Chef Gold will chose a winner by the customers experience, the leadership of the chefs in control of their kitchen and their overall performance during the entire competition.  

It doesn't take long before Archibald enters the kitchen with the first ticket and surprisingly the first ticket is for Belle.

Belle smiles as she takes the ticket, then straighten her face. She doesn't want Chef Gold to think she isn't taking this seriously. "Okay, first order of the night," she calls out and her team listens in. "Three covers, table thirty-seven. Two bruschettas and an order of potato crisps."

"Yes, Chef," Neal, Jafar and Chef Regina answer back and jump into action to make the appetizers.

After the first ticket, a rush of more tickets quickly fall into the kitchen for both sides and the night is now in full swing.

Belle neatly organizes her tickets and calls out for her food. "Neal, how long on those bruschettas. It's just toast, it doesn't take long."

"The oven was too high and I burnt the first batch. I have another coming out now."

"Next time you burn something, let me know. I need to know when there's a fuck up, so I can't keep proper time."

"Yes, Chef. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Neal, just don't leave me hanging again."

"Yes, Chef." He rushes to the pass with his perfectly cooked appetizers.

In the other kitchen, Mulan plates the appetizer for table nineteen and she finds something wrong with the spicy noodle salad. "Ashley?" She runs to the kitchen with the bowl of salad. "Are you tasting what you're cooking?"

"Yes, Chef. I'm tasting everything."

"Well, I think you like things a bit too spicy. I like the extra spice, but some customers can't handle it. You're a bit too heavy handed with the dressing, slow it down."

"Yes, Chef."

"Remake the salad."

Ashley makes another salad as swiftly as she can.

Chef Gold is pleased to see that Belle and Mulan have called out issues in their kitchen. Their both showing signs of great leadership skills.

Belle and Mulan send out their last appetizer at the same time, ending a smooth appetizer service. Now they move on to serving entrees.

"Two covers table twenty-one. Two lambs," Belle calls out.

Jafar is working the meat station and he checks on the lambs in the oven. "Shit," he mumbles to himself. The lambs aren't up to temperature. "The lamb still needs time."

"What? ... Why?" She dashes back to check for herself and just as he said the lamb is cold in the middle. "Did you put these in when I told you too?" Belle argues.

"Yes, but not immediately."

"What the hell, Jafar? You need to do things when I tell you." Her face reddens with anger.

"I thought you asked too early and I didn't anticipate finishing the apps so soon."

"I anticipated it that's why I told you to start them when I did. Why can't you just listen?"

Gold notices Belle arguing with Jafar. "Belle, don't argue with them, it's a waste of time, just solve the problem."

"Yes, Chef." She turns her attention back to the lamb. She takes a pot and a ladle and fills it with the braising liquid, then removes a few of the lamb shanks. "Keep those in the oven, they should be ready by the next order. Finish these on the stove." She hands Jafar the pot. "They'll warm up quicker."

"Yes, Chef." Jafar takes the pot to the stove and turns on the fire.

Belle returns to the expediting station. "Regina, I'm calling five minutes on the lamb, so I'll need the saffron potatoes then."

"Yes, Chef," she replies.

Chef Gold meets Belle at the pass. "Don't let them draw you in like that."

"Yes, Chef. It won't happen again.”

"You're doing a good job, sweetheart," he speaks softly and grazes his hand across the small of her back as he walks away from her.

Belle smiles at his caring touch and continues her work.

Chef Gold watches Mulan's kitchen and he sees she's in her element, catching every mistake and motivating her team. It all seems to be natural to her and he can tell she was born to do it.

Each kitchen is running effortlessly, as they both send out high quality entrees in record time. Belle is a bit slower than Mulan, however, she takes a little extra time to give her dishes a good inspection. She wants everything going out with Chef Gold’s high standards.

Three hours into diner service and both kitchens are working on their last tables.

“Last order of the night,” Belle addresses her team. “Four covers, table twelve. Three sea breams and one lamb.”

“Yes, Chef,” the brigade calls back.

“Shit,” Jafar grips to himself.

“I heard that, man. What's going on over there?” Neal asks.

“Nothing, I’ve got it.” Jafar has ran out of lambs in the oven and the only lambs left are the ones he started on the stove. Being that its the last ticket and hoping that Belle won’t notice, he plans to serve the lamb from the stove. Jafar remove the lamb and sits it on the tray to take to the pass.

“What are you doing?” Neal can’t believe his eyes. “You can’t serve that. Belle’s going to know its not from the oven. That shit looks dried out from here.”

“Would you shut up. She isn’t going to notice and it isn’t dry.” He checks the lamb and its drier than a fucking desert. He adds extra braising liquid into a bowl, praying that he can pass with this extremely dusty meat and takes the lamb up to the pass. “Lamb, Chef.” He quickly walks away.

Belle take one look at the lamb and touches it. Its drier than a bone. “What the fuck, Jafar?” She turns to the kitchen. “I know you saw this. Why are you bring it up?” She walks back to his station. “Is this from the stove? That pot has been on the stove for three hours. Why would even you bring me this?”

“It was all that I had, all the ones from the oven are gone.”

“Every table deserves the same quality of food. You should have told me you were out so I can’t try to get the customer to order something else.” Belle is getting fed up. This is the second time lamb has held her back and took her away from her station. Belle suddenly notices that she’s doing exactly what the chef told her not to do. She glances behind and Chef Gold is watching her. “Just throw this away.” She goes back the the front of the kitchen. “Archie.” She flags down the head waiter.

“Yes, Chef?”

“Will you please ask the customer that ordered the lamb at table twelve what alternative would they like to order. We just ran out of lamb.”

“Yes, Chef.” He head to the table and shortly returns with a new order. “She changed her mind and would like the fish.”

“Thank you, Archie.” Belle turns back to the kitchen. “One sea bream on the fly.”

Neal instantly works on the new fish order.

Once all the tables have been served, Chef Gold pulls Belle and Mulan to the side, as their teams prepare the desserts. “You’ve both performed on levels higher than I’ve ever seen in this competition and that make my choice even more difficult.”

“Thank you, Chef,” they both answer.

“The comment cards are being collected and I will go through every single one of them and take their thoughts into great consideration when making my decision. You ladies clear down the kitchens. I have a lot of work ahead of me.” Chef Gold heads up to his office.

Belle and Mulan return to their kitchens, serve the desserts and clean up afterwards, proud that they've made it through their final night of the competition. They say goodbyes to their teammates and everyone wishes them luck, then they go up to the dorms to await Chef Gold's decision.

"That was one of the hardest things I've done in my life." Belle takes a seat at the couch.

"I agree with you, but I could do the everyday for the rest of my life."

"Yes, I think I can too." Belle sits back in the couch. "I am quite nervous. I've had a few issues tonight, but nothing huge."

"I had some issues too. It's a kitchen, everything isn't going to go perfectly all the time."

"Yeah, I know." Belle shrugs her shoulders. She's very proud with her performance, but she does have doubts and knows the weight of the competition can shift either way. She wants to win and deep down in her heart she knows she already has.

##  *******

Two hours pass since the kitchen shut down and the phone in the dorm room starts to ring. Belle hops up from the couch (she tried to take a nap, but she kept tossing and turning) and answers the phone. "Hello?"

"Belle?" Chef Gold speaks on the other line.

Belle smiles at the sound of his voice. "Did you recognize that it was me? Or did you know that you only had a fifty/fifty chance at being right?" She giggles.

"Belle," his voice is low and breathy through the phone.

"I'm sorry, Chef. I guess I'm just driving myself a little crazy up here."

"You don't have to apologize, dearie. You're just being your sweet self."

She blushes. He always makes her feel better.

"I need you and Mulan to meet me in my office. I've made my decision."

"Yes, Chef." She hangs up the phone. "Mulan!" Belle yells excitingly. "He's ready for us!"

Mulan steps out of the bed room. "Really?"

"Yes." She smiles brightly and takes Mulan's hand. "Let's go!" She drags her out of the dorm.

They enter the kitchen together and the dining room explodes with cheers from friends, family and customers from tonight's service. Belle looks over the crowd and is overwhelmed with excitement, she's never had such a large group of people cheering for her. This is a much larger gathering than the one in Las Vegas. Belle spots her father at the head of the crowd and her heart skips a beat. She haven't seen him in months and she keeps herself from rushing to his arms. She knows she'll have a chance to do that later. Mulan sees her mother and father in the crowd as well and she waves, blowing them kisses as she makes her way to the chef's office.

Mulan and Belle step into Gold's office and he's sitting at his desk. He's never seen two women so excited and afraid in his life. He stands from his chair a give the ladies a warm reassuring smile. "Are you girls ready?"

"Yes, Chef," they answer.

"Good, because tonight I've made my decision base on what the customers have said and your overall performance during the entire course of this competition. It was a very close game and I had nitpick down to the smallest detail when making my final decision." He glides from behind his desk. "Now, if you ladies would stand by your door?" Chef Gold has three doors in his office, the main entrance and two doors that opens to a patio above the dining room. The Chef uses these doors to reveal the winner. "The left is yours Mulan and the one on the right is you, dearie."

The contestants stand by their doors.  

"The person walking out of that door will be the new head chef of my restaurant The Taste of Magic and the winner of Hell's Kitchen."

Belle stands by her door, shivering like a leaf, she's never been so anxious in her life. This is the moment she's waited for and has worked very hard to get here. She deserve a this more than anyone and she knows that door is opening for her.

"On the count of three, I want you both to open your doors." Gold takes a deep breath. "One..." He begins his count.

Belle places her right hand on the door knob and takes a deep breath, closing her eyes.

"Two..." Gold takes a step behind Belle.

Both ladies can hear their hearts thumping out of their chests.

"Three." Chef Gold instantly takes Belle's hand. "Belle." he speaks her name softly and turns her to him.

Belle stares at him like a deer caught in headlights. Why would he turn her away from the door? She looks to her left and Mulan's door opens, the crowd cheers for her.

Chef Gold stopped Belle from trying to open a locked door.

Belle's heart sinks to the pit of her stomach, she's never been so heartbroken in her life. "Rumple?" Her voice wobbles and her eyes fill with tears.

"I'm so, so sorry, sweetheart." He wraps his arms around her tightly.

She stands shocked and doesn't wrap her arms around him. "You didn't pick me," she mutters.

"No, sweetheart, I'm sorry, but you're not ready yet." He holds her tightly, desperately hoping that she'll wrap her arms around him and she does. "Oh, Belle..." He's relieved to feel her wrapped around him. "You still have so much to learn, my love, and I'm going to teach you, if you'll allow me?"

Belle thought she was ready, she thought she knew everything there was to know, but she was wrong. Chef Gold saw through her inexperience and knew it wasn't her time. "Yes, Rumple." She pulls out of his arms. "I want you to teach me."

Chef Gold wipes the tears from her face, he hates that he's the one that made her feel this way. He would have loved nothing more but to see her win. But with Belle being a cookbook writer and food blogger, she just doesn't have enough restaurant experience to be a head chef. She will one day and he's going to make sure that she does. He knows that she's an extremely talented chef and cooks every dish with all of her heart, but right now is not her time to be head chef. "I'll teach you, Belle. I'll teach you everything I know." He wipes more tears from her face.

She kisses him for the first time in front of camera and crew. They don't need to hide anything anymore.

"You still love me, Belle?" He gently caresses her cheek.

"Of course I still love you." She kisses him deeply, drawing his breath into hers. Belle hates that she lost, but she doesn't take losing sorely. "We have a win to celebrate." She dries her eyes. "And you have to meet my father."

"Yes I do, my love." He takes her hand and leads her out of Mulan's open door.

The crowd roars into cheers for Belle as well.

Belle kisses the chef on his cheek as they walk down the stairs together, arm in arm. With confetti and champagne bottles popping all around the dining room, it's a night of pure celebration.

All though she didn't win the competition, Belle did do something no one else could have.

She won Chef Gold's heart.

##  ***************************

~One year later~

Chef Gold walks into an oddly themed restaurant, with a design that seems to be out of this world. It looks as though someone was on a bad acid trip while decorated this place. Gold stops at the hostesses desk and is greeted warmly by a young woman.

"Welcome to Queen of Hearts. Will you be needing a table for one this afternoon?"

"No thank you. I'm here to see the owner."

"Oh..." The girl look behind her. "He's busy in the kitchen right now. It may be awhile before he can see you."

Gold gives her a crooked grin. "I can wait. I guess I will be needing that table for one after all."

"It's not a problem, sir. Right this way." She leads him to a table in the corner of the restaurant and places a menu on the table.

"I won't be needing that, dearie. If you could just bring me some tea and the owner once he's free, I'll be just fine."

"Yes, sir." She leaves the table with the menu and quickly returns with a hot cup of tea.

"Thank you, dearie."

"You're welcome." She leaves the table once again.

Chef Gold waits for nearly thirty minutes, drinking tea and eating a few cookies, before the owner decides to finally meet him. Gold doesn't know why it took him so long to step out from the kitchen, the restaurant isn't busy at all.

The owners eyes widened with shock at the site of Chef Gold. "What the fuck are you doing here?" He never thought he'd see Gold again.

"Jefferson, why don't you have a seat," Gold offers.

"No, I'm not sitting next to you. You're not welcomed here, so you need to leave."

"You might want to really sit down, dearie."

"No! Get out!" Jefferson orders.

"I knew we would have to do this the hard way. You always choose the fucking hard way." Gold stands, pulling out a paper from the inside pocket of his suite. "The contract you signed a year ago."

"What do I need that for? I have my own copy."

"Yes, dearie, I know." He opens the folded document. "Have you read the contact since signing it?"

"No, why the hell would I?"

"I think you missed something the first time you read it." He hands the paper to Jefferson.

"Give me that." Jefferson snatches the contract. "By the way, I laughed like hell when I saw Belle didn't win. You went through all of that shit just end up not picking her," he chuckles as he looks down at the contract.

Chef Gold laughs quietly to himself.

Jefferson's eyes fall on small, highlighted text on the bottom of the page. "What the fuck is that, Gold?"

"Why don't you just fucking read it?" he snarls through his teeth.

Jefferson squints his eyes to try to focus on the small text and he manages to read it. "Did you just add this or something?" He glares at Chef Gold, infuriated.

"No, that was there the day that you signed and you will see it in your copy as well." Gold stands proud, beaming back at Jefferson with a smug grin on his face. "Let me recite to you want that little clause states." Gold rephrases the passage from memory. "Chef Rumple Gold can collect all property given to Jefferson Hatter one year after the Hell's Kitchen winner is revealed and only if Gold and Belle French are still dating or married at the time." He takes the contracts back from Jefferson. "You might remember the small media storm that happened after we made our relationship public, but ultimately, no one really cared." He folds the contract and places it back into his pocket. "I'll have you know, Belle and I are not married, but are still very much in love and living together."

"You can't fucking do that, Gold!" Jefferson raves.

"Oh... But I did. You signed a contract without giving it a proper read and that's your fault." He chuckles. "Now, will you be leaving on your own or will I have to have someone remove you?"

"Fuck you, Gold. You can't get away with this shit!" He steps up to Chef Gold's face.

Gold calmly pulls his phone out of his pocket. "I guess you'll be getting arrested today."

Jefferson slowly backs away. He knows he isn't in a position to do much right now and shouldn't touch Gold and make this situation tougher on himself. "This shit isn't over. You can't do this to me. I'll see you in fucking court."

"That's fine, you won't be winning, dearie." Gold wave as Jefferson back up to the door. "Next time you see this place, it will be Belle's Kitchen." 


End file.
